Skills: The Last and the Greatest, Even Your Gods are Powerless, Grand Blight, Down With the Sickness, Festering Fever, Necrotic Essence, Stench of Death, Cloud of Disease, Soul Bound, The Black Death.

When the prime evils came through the gates aeons ago they all went their separate ways to bring death and destruction to the world in the centre of the universe. One conspired with politicians, one claimed the strongest warriors, and one sought the beasts of legend. Uz did none of these. Instead it chose to bide it's time, slowly creeping across the land and finding a place to call its own. It found that place, and from there it began to slowly extend its influence.

The effects of the prime evil have long gone unnoticed, taken as some foul necromantic magic that has plagued the land that has drawn some of the best and the brightest. Uz has taken many lives, and now has sped up it's plans after the demise of its cousins. It has been planting seeds for a great, long time. Now those seeds have taken root, and soon the flowers of death will blanket the land.

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Description:Uz appears to be a naked, genderless human covered with a shiny black carapace. His head has no face, though you swear that you can feel a piercing gaze when it turns to face you. He carries a silver spear in his right hand and a black shield with a dark-grey cross emblazoned on the front. His head is circled with a woven band with large thorns on it.

Equipment:

Crown of Thorns: This is a crown of twisted black vines adorned with seven needles that rests comfortably upon Uz's head.

The Grand Cross: This is a large metal round shield forged from meteorite with a notch in which one can place a polearm.

Holy Lance: A polearm said to have once pierced the side of a god in a holy war long ago.

God's Grace: Armour that was taken from the gods war and tainted by Uz to become the flesh of his body.

Specials:

Arise my Walkers:

The Earth Is My Pawn:

Nightshade:

Hemlock:

Henbane:

Foxglove:

Plague Walker:

?????:

INCONCEIVABLE!:

Skills:

(All skills marked with a * apply to all of Uz's pets, as well as Uz himself. The magical essence of Uz's diseases causes the diseases to be so difficult to resist that even the undead to feel the effects of the sicknesses though they work more slowly, progressing at half the normal rate).

Uz's diseases will have a 'disease counter' that will gain one point for every round of infection. Symptoms progress and become worse as time goes on, with some diseases adding new symptoms as they infest the body. A point count of 0 means that all disease has been cured.

(Also, to be clear, some of these skills have hidden effects that will not be revealed until they are pertinent to the battle)

*The Last and the Greatest: Uz is the last of the prime evils and has assimilated some of the abilities of its fallen cousins from the aether disturbances of their deaths. Uz can bend mana like Decay, possesses the martial prowess of Destruction and the ethereal essence of J'ah. Furthermore, Uz does not use the mortal senses contained within its hosts but instead uses it's own array that are not attached to the body. Uz cannot feel pain, cannot be blinded and cannot be deafened. Uz also speaks through thoughts rather than sound, and can hear thoughts that are directed toward it.

Even Your Gods are Powerless: The pious have been praying to their gods for healing since the plagues began. The gods have been answering, but have found themselves powerless to heal the sick and are only able to slow and ease their passing. Uz knows that the sickness is beyond even the grasp of the gods, only killing the source can truly cure those that are sick. It is waiting. (God prayers have a reduced effect in this battle.)

Grand Blight: The sentient races and animals aren't the only things that are sick. Uz has conjured a blight that has infected the plants of his resident forest, causing them to ooze orange puss and give off a cloyingly sweet stench.

Down With the Sickness: The sickness can be crushing, and it always gets worse before it gets better – and it rarely ever gets better.

*Festering Fever: Any mortal wounded in any way by Uz will, after three posts, begin to be overcome by a fever. This will make them delirious, dizzy, congested, and feeling like they are going to sick up. This becomes progressively worse unless treated, beginning mildly and becoming crippling. If left untreated, the character will fall unconscious after 8 rounds.

Necrotic Wound: Any wound caused by Uz will begin to mortify as the disease is concentrated in that area. This means that the muscle and tissue begins to die. This could range from mild to incredibly serious, and the location of the wound will determine whether or not it is mortal. The size of the wound determines how quickly the flesh mortifies. Any mortified flesh will become overgrown with a purplish moss that will begin to give off spores that irritate the eyes and nose. The mortification process adds 1 general disease point every round until it reaches a certain amount (determined when the wound is taken). Should the wound mortify, the spores exuded by the moss will add a single disease point every round until it is extinguished.

Stench of Death: The smell of a dead man is bad, but the smell of a diseased, dying man is worse. Uz's breath smells like that of a thousand diseased and dying men, and it is enough to turn the stomach of any who should smell it. This forces immediate vomiting and causes nosebleeds and violently sore throat, preventing speech for a short time until the throat is recoated in protective mucous. (This has no effect if the player is congested). The vile humours within the breath cause one active disease (randomly determined if more than one is active) to accumulate an extra point.

*Cloud of Disease: Uz is surrounded by a cloudy haze of disease that, when inhaled, will slowly attack the lungs. After inhalation the character will begin coughing after 4 rounds and will find it difficult to breathe after 6 rounds. They will be unable to breathe and will die after 10 rounds.

Aurochros and Tik'ti'kik both are surrounded by a lesser version of this cloud that grows more slowly (at half the rate, it doesn't effect undead). Ajdi is not surrounded by this cloud.

Soul Bound: Uz's followers have become so infected with his disease that they are essentially immortal thralls to the Prime Evil. He dominates them with his essence and is able to effectively control 4 bodies at once. However, the mental strain of controlling all four bodies is great and as such the bodies function at a lower capacity (still equivalent to most all heroes). When a follower dies, Uz is able to focus more on his remaining bodies. All four bodies must die in order to claim victory.

The Black Death: When an individual dies of Uz's plague, they sprout black flowers that give off toxic spores within minutes of dying.

The Pale Mare:

The Pale Mare is the horse upon which Uz rides and its hoof beats sound the arrival of a new wave of anguish. The horse itself is a large mare with pale white hair and milky, seemingly blind eyes.

Class: Martial ArtistRace: Human – Despite being long dead and covered in moss, Aurochros is still human in form and does not possess the strength of the fleshy undead.Equipment: Serpent's Fangs, Damned Edge, Thorns of the God's Crown (Throwing Knives) x5

Specials: Grand Thrust, Doom's Edge, Bleeding Drive, Lost Cause

Skills: Grand Guardian

Equipment:

Serpent's Fangs: A pair of gauntlets.

Damned Edge: A katana that was forged specifically for Aurochros from a black ore found only in ancient guardiania.

Specials:

Grand Thrust:

Doom's Edge:

Bleeding Drive:

Lost Cause:

Skills:

Grand Guardian: Aurochros was once the Grand Guardian, when the title still had meaning. He was the greatest of the guardian warriors, the one destined to one day lead the guardians down their path. His training was focused on the utilization of ki and an element. Aurochros chose the element of earth and learned to channel his ki through weapons. He is a master of earth ki, and though much of his ability has been lost, he is still a formidable opponent.

Mossy armour: Over the years Aurochros has been coated in a mossy growth that has become an inch thick in some areas. While one would think this isn't much, this isn't ordinary moss. This moss is something that plague has been concocting to overtake undergrowth and eventually strangle out the trees that are not blighted. This moss is quite strong, offering specialized protection. It is quite effective at dampening blunt attacks and attacks that utilize cold and water. However, it does not offer much protection against slashing or fire attacks, and may even burn if enough fire is applied to one area.

Biography:

Aurochros was the Grand Guardian of his generation. He was destined to lead the Guardians, and was sent on a mission as his final initiation. Aurochros would never return. He was tasked with discovering the source of a sickness that was plaguing a small village at the edge of a forest. There had been reports of strange sightings in the woods, and his investigation pointed to the woods as the source.

He ventured through the woods until he found a hillock rising from the marsh, upon it standing a figure with a spear in his hand and a shield on his arm. He looked vile and emitted an aura of such evil that Aurochros knew at once this thing was the source of the sickness. Aurochros fought valiantly, but every blow he struck seemed to have no effect, and every blow that was struck against him festered quickly. The battle was brief, and in the end Aurochros had fallen.

It was, as Aurochros was laying on his back and preparing to die, that he felt a black cloud settling over his mind. He felt himself being compelled, and felt black tendrils lacing themselves through his body, taking control. Aurochros became a prisoner within his body, but only for a short time. After that, he saw reason in the evil being's mutterings and became his loyal servant – he has remained loyal for the last thousand years.

Race: Ssar (Small version, closer to an elf in size with a skinny tail) Despite being long dead, Tik'ti'kik is not considered undead and does not have the strength of the fleshy undead.

Class: Rogue

Equipment: Heart Skewer, Widow Makers.

Specials: Riposte, Quick-Shot, Knockers, Woe and Despair.

Skills: Legendary Burglar, Crackshot, The Edge of Sorrow's Blade

Equipment:

Heart Skewer: A black ironwood box slung over the ssar's shoulder with a vine.

Widow Makers: A long sword and a sword breaker made of steel that has resisted the wear of the ages.

Specials:

Riposte:

Quick Shot:

Knockers:

Woe and Despair:

Skills:

Legendary Burglar: Tik'ti'kik was a burglar of legend when he was alive. He stole from the richest and wealthiest, breaking into the treasuries of kings and banks alike and making away with their treasure without ever raising an alarm. Tik'ti'kik moves with absolute – almost magical – silence. He is also able to perform incredible acrobatic feats with natural ease, and is able to scale almost any surface invented as if he were strolling down a meadow lane. [Broken Movement]

Crackshot: Tik'ti'kik is a crack shot. He can hit his targets with superb accuracy even in horrible conditions – a skill that was incredibly useful when taking out sentries and guards to gain entrance to well defended castles and manors.

The Edge of Sorrow's Blade: All of the negative emotion that Tik'ti'kik carried at death has persisted into his unlife. This negative emotion has become manifest in the form of an inky-darkness on the edge of his weapons. When an opponent is struck by Tik'ti'kik with the Widow Makers they find their thoughts darkening of their own accord as the negative emotion flows into them. This can come in the form of sadness, despair, fear, or rage.

Biography: Tik'ti'kik was the greatest burglar of his age. He started simply enough, living as a street urchin in his early years. He took up burglary when his scrawny stature prevented him from getting the jobs normally reserved for those of his race. He learned his skill over the years and, by the time he was twenty five, he became the most notorious burglar in the city of Kallamar – the predecessor of the city Vallandar. By 30 he was the most famous burglar in the world.

At the height of his fame he took a wife and fathered a son, leaving the game behind and settling in an estate that would make some lords green with envy. It was only a year later when the sickness fell upon his household and took his wife and child into its grips. For a time Tik'ti'kik searched for a cure, spending a king's ransom on alchemists, priests, and hedge-wizards to try to cure his household.

All of the gold was spent for naught. Nothing could be done to save his household, and they were doomed to die. Then he heard over his network of informants that there had been a similar plague in the past said to have originated in a forest near the crown of the continent.

His hope restored, Tik'ti'kik set out on one last job to find a cure for his family. He travelled as fast as he could, sparing no expense for the life of his family. He arrived at the forest and searched for a cure for two days. He finally came upon a clearing where a man stood upon a hill with a beautiful spear and shield, with a man clothed in moss looking out over the woods. This was surely the source of the cure.

He called out to the men, and when they turned his heart sunk in despair. The moss-covered man was clearly dead, and the man with the spear and the shield gave off such an aura of evil that he could hardly resist taking flight. His wife and son were on the line, so he soldiered on. He asked them for a cure, and the man with the spear simply cackled.

The fight was quick and vicious. The ground exploded underneath Tik'ti'kik more times than he could count as he tried to fight off the man with the shield and spear. The man's weapon was something that Tik'ti'kik could not stop, no matter how hard he tried. It kept changing, from sword to mace in the blink of an eye, turning skilled parries to desperate retreats. Heart Skewer also did very little, as the man simply regenerated any bolts that passed through him. It was a losing battle, and when a throwing dagger found his thigh it was over. Tik'ti'kik shifted, throwing his dance off for just a moment, and that was the end. The man's spear found its mark.

Mage of the Red Blades: Ajdi is skilled at weaving spell and blade, and has learned to combine the two flawlessly. She can attack with a physical weapon in the same turn that she casts a spell, often at the same time. Her spells usually combine attacks with the casting of a spell, and she can deal a nasty 1 - 2 punch. She is also able to modify her fighting style in order to better control a specific element, effectively empowering the spell's use. She is skilled at this and can flow through styles seamlessly.

Eternally Graceful, and Young: Unlike Uz's other followers who are generally covered in moss and oozing, diseased pustules, Ajdi is beautiful. In her days of adventuring she unknowingly discovered the fountain of youth and became eternally youthful. Even under Uz's control she hasn't changed. On the outside, at least.

Biography:

Ajdi lead a rather uninteresting life until she turned fourteen. On her nameday a mercenary company passed through her little village. She wanted out, tiring of her life and dreaming of being a knight like the ones in the stories. Her mother tried to tell her that such was not her destined life, but the girl went off anyway. She sneaked into the camp followers trailing the mercenary company and never looked back.

She was allowed into the company at eighteen after proving that she could hold her own on the field of battle. She was twenty-two when she mastered magic and the wheels of wind and fire, and went on a search for a gem said to enhance magic. It was on this search that she stumbled upon a fountain in deep cavern within a mountain. Parched, she drank from the fountain and was unknowingly bestowed with eternal youth.

It was not until some years later when many of her compatriots had perished or grown old and she remained young did she realize her gift. She rose to commander of the Red Blades shortly thereafter and commanded well for ten years. It was on the cusp of her eleventh year that the Red Blades fell mysteriously and severely ill with a disease that had no apparent cure. Even Ajdi fell sick and, unlike the others, found no solace in death.

Her company dead and her mind delirious she wandered, drawn by a subtle and incessant call in the back of her mind. The call eventually lead her to a forest where she came upon three men standing on a hill. She did not struggle, she did not resist, she simply fell in beside them and found that her mind was suddenly clear and she could think again for the first time in a long time. Alongside that thought was a command: “Go. Take my horse and spread my love to the world.”